FG has been held hostage by institution it was meant to manage

Micheál Martin was born under a lucky star. It’s called Fine Gael. He inherited a once-great political edifice in ruins and his own reputation in tatters. Nothing survived the deluge, writes Gerard Howlin.

Then Fine Gael, saturated with success in 2011, full of natural self-regard

and bolstered by the relative prosperity that accompanies its parliamentarians, looked on that triumph and foolishly saw too much of themselves reflected in it.